Think of sunrise over a bustling market, vendors shouting over the hum of morning coffee, or a spontaneous soccer game breaking out on a dusty street. Thatโs Brazilโwhere every day feels like a celebration of survival and spirit. Itโs a lifestyle that hooks you with its raw energy and unexpected warmth. Ready to peek into what keeps this country pulsing?
Also, if you would like to learn more about Brazil, later read our completeย Brazil Travel Guide. Now, letโs get back into it.
You might already know a few things about the Brazil lifestyle without even noticing. For example, everyone knows that Brazilians are incredibly hard workers, but the Brazil lifestyle is all about balance so we party just as hard. No matter if you end up in Rio de Janeiro, Sรฃo Paulo, or anywhere beyond, a huge part of the Brazil lifestyle is about hospitality.
In the end, to understand the Brazil Lifestyle, you will need to understand Brazil as a whole. So come along with this local lady as we journey through the largest South American country in all its glory.
Quick Interesting Facts
Here are some quick facts that go beyond the culture of Brazil for you to talk about when people ask about your destination.
Location
Brazil is located in Eastern Latin America, it is the largest country in the continent! It shares a border with several different countries on the continent. To the north, we have Suriname, Guiana, Venezuela, and a territory that belongs to France, the French Guiana.
In the Northeast, we have Colombia along with Peru and Bolivia to the west. Paraguay and Argentina are our neighbors in the Southern regions. The only exceptions, meaning countries in our continent we don’t share borders with, are Chile and Ecuador.
One major advantage of being such a huge country is the almost seven and a half thousand kilometers, approximately 4.6 thousand miles, of Atlantic Ocean-bathed shores.
Capital
No, Sao Paulo is not our capital city. Is it Rio de Janeiro? Not anymore! Rio de Janeiro was Brazil’s capital from 1763 to 1960. In that year, it was decided that it would move from Rio de Janeiro to Brasรญlia, where it remains to this day.
Brasรญlia was planned to occupy the post of capital city. Fun fact: the whole thing was also designed to stand out from surrounding rural areas and take the shape of a plane from above, each neighborhood named in aviation-related terms.
Climate
As a whole, Brazil is diverse and it goes all the way down to details like the climate. Officially, we have three kinds of climate spread throughout the land. Equatorial Climate is the one you will find close to the Equator Meridian, so the Amazon Rainforest, dense forests, along with some states of Northeastern and Northern Brazil.
Tropical weather, marked by lower temperature variations, is what you can find in most urban areas around Brazil’s midwest, Northeastern Brazil, and more. Lastly, you will find a temperate climate below the Tropic of Capricorn, so Southern Brazil and some of Sao Paulo state too.
In general, we get warm summers, and mild winters with moderate rain in most areas. Of course, going to places all the way up north or down south will increase your chances of facing extreme weather (very hot, cold, or both).
Population
If we are talking numbers, the Brazilian population hovers at just over two hundred and fifteen million, mostly concentrated around major cities. It doesn’t really matter whether you come to Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo, if we are talking about the Brazil lifestyle and our characteristics, that kind of thing stays the same with moderate regional variation, even when you run into Brazilians living in other places like the United States.
After living there for two years, it was great to be a part of my home country’s population again. I would define the personality of Brazilian people, from our indigenous peoples to those who come to live here, as a warm people.
Sure, you will encounter a unique culture in each state because of how our land was colonized, but, certainly, we will always have an open door and freshly brewed coffee waiting for you.
Further aspects of Brazilian people, and consequently of the Brazil lifestyle, is the average age of our people. Most of us are what is considered an active age, from fifteen to sixty-four years old, which makes us a rather busy young people.
The Brazil lifestyle reflects that being on the get-go a lot. Do we love mid-week national holidays to spend hours in bed? Yes! Do we love to busily pack our schedules to maximize fun? Just as much. For example, last carnival weekend, I went to an open house, to lunch, watched a game at the Maracanรฃ then went out with some in-laws on Saturday alone.
What Is the Official Language of Brazil?
Once upon Brazilian culture was defined by indigenous Brazilians, meaning the official language was a dialect known as tupi-guarani. After Portuguese ships touched down on our coast, we slowly adopted the Portuguese language officially.
However, with time passing, we developed our own version of it and by the 19th century, it was practically unrecognizable. It is lovely to see how each region puts its spin on different dialects of Portuguese, with expressions and slang.
As a friend, I recommend you take some time from the preparation for your big trip and use it to learn however much Portuguese you can.
It is not a necessity, you will do just fine with only English in big cities like Rio de Janeiro and Sรฃo Paulo, but it will help you truly live the Brazil lifestyle for a few days. And should your exploring lead to smaller places, it will be hard to find someone with good enough English to help you out.
Some tools you can use beforehand are online courses or language learning apps such as Duolingo, or even language schools around your area may offer courses.
When your plane touches down, translation apps will be your best friend. To use them, you will also need good mobile internet to get more data than you think you might need. It will help with other stuff too, like using ride-share apps.
A Rundown on Brazilian History
You may wonder what in Brazilian history made our country so different from what you might already be familiar with. That is such a valid question and let me tell you: it has an easy enough answer!
Countries like the US and Canada were founded mostly by religious refugees who arrived in North America to make a life for themselves. Sure, the land already belonged to indigenous peoples but you get the idea.
Meanwhile, most, if not all, of South America was visited by Portuguese and Spaniard people who didn’t exactly want to stay here.
Instead, they hoped to explore new land and take unique things such as fruits, veggies, craft techniques, and more from our indigenous groups back to Europe. Because this fundamental aspect in the very beginning was different, it affected the Brazil lifestyle from the get-go.
While the US was having its first presidential election in 1788 after an arduous war for independence, Brazil went down a different route. From when the Portuguese in the 16th century boats arrived until the year 1808, Brazil was under Portugal’s government as a Colony.
The land was divided into ‘Capitanias Hereditรกrias’, with each of them having a ruler appointed by Portugal and a kind of central government in Salvador until 1763. As huge gold mines were discovered in Midwestern states, the capital was moved to Rio de Janeiro so it could be closer to the sea and mines, Portugal’s royal family moved here permanently and the Imperial period began.
It was definitely not easy to be living here during that time. We had a short-lived rule by Dom Pedro I, it ended because he lost control of a territory that would later declare independence to become Uruguay, and that created enormous tension between Brazilians and Portuguese people who lived here.
His son still had ten years to go before he could take over so there was a brief regency period. In 1888, Princess Isabel signed the ‘Lei รurea’ which abolished the slave trade in Brazil. More or less a year later, Manuel Deodoro da Fonseca officially declared Brazil’s independence from Portugal.
We went from military presidents to governments focused solely on whichever export was most profitable at the moment, through the Vargas Age and a Military Government / Dictatorship to arrive at where we are today. I would say that the Brazilian way of life we have become famous for was born in the last century, with the rise of bossa nova and MPB.
It was solidified by Brazilian literature writers such as Clarice Lispector as well as our world-famous telenovelas. Right now we are well-represented by people in every area of life. Foodies know all about Alex Atala, you won’t hear about Coachella without someone mentioning Ludmilla.
Brazil has had a long history so far and it is still happening now.
The Diversity of Brazilian Culture
As someone who traveled a lot through Brazil, and even lived long-term in a few different states, I know first-hand that defining Brazilian culture can be a difficult task. It might be because we are the largest country in the continent and it is a given that different regions will have different customs.
Or it can be because the Brazilian population comes from an almost uncountable number of backgrounds. We have Indigenous groups and their descendants who make up the indigenous Brazilians. There also are many European backgrounds blending into amazing people.
I could spend an absurd amount of time nitpicking through every aspect of Brazilian culture but I will settle for saying that it is all about traditions. Brazilian culture is the sum of the traditions, cultural manifestations, customs, cuisine, and religion of whatever ethnic groups have lived in the region.
But even if culture has profound variations, some things never change. Let’s talk about the strongest elements of Brazil’s culture.
Brazilian Culture Staples
- Fruit: there are so many fruits you can only find in Brazil! Especially if you decide to travel to places closer to our forests, the number of choices can be overwhelming.
- Food: We have famous things like our hot dog, churrasco, pastรฉis, paรงoquinha, and many more. But when it comes to ‘real food’, proper meals, there will almost always be some sort of rice served too. Don’t worry, there will be something to fit all dietary patterns! Places like Bahia will have many culinary elements passed down from African slaves while Minas Gerais is all about hearty country food, Rio de Janeiro and Sรฃo Paulo will have a bit of everything, and so on.
- Alcoholic Beverages: Trust me, you will not be able to go live the Brazil lifestyle without having a couple of drinks here. It is almost a habit to order a beer with my meals, Rio de Janeiro has great breweries in the South Zone. But we can never forget about Cachaรงa, a distilled beverage used to make caipirinhas.
- Cultural Parties: A huge part of the Brazil lifestyle is taking advantage of every opportunity to celebrate life. Brazilian society gathers around whatever is happening to meet up with family and friends, dress up, and have a good time. We have Carnaval at the beginning of the year, Festa Junina in June/July, and the Parintins Festival always happens on the last weekend of July. Each region has its own cultural events so do your research beforehand.
- Sports: Admit it, you immediately thought of soccer when I mentioned sports. And that is more than okay, but sports fit seamlessly into the Brazil lifestyle. You will always find someone kicking around a soccer ball (not quite as good as Neymar da Silva Santos Jรบnior), an impromptu game of volleyball going on at beaches or even some beach tennis going on. That is without mentioning water sports like surfing or how much we love to go hiking at national parks on weekends.
How to Define the Brazilian Lifestyle
Before we actually dive into the Brazil lifestyle, it is important to think of what exactly is a lifestyle. Your lifestyle is sort of a behavioral manifestation of different aspects of life. It is about your patterns when consuming anything, your routines along acquired habits. Basically, it is how you live your daily life without thinking too much about it.
And while lifestyle is particular, it will vary from Rio de Janeiro to Sao Paulo where our Indigenous population lives. Brazil’s regions also have a lot more in common.
So the Brazil lifestyle is about commuting to work because you live in a different neighborhood. It is about either working for someone and turning it off as soon as you clock out or trying to make your way as an entrepreneur. It is about making time for what really matters during the week, sitting down to eat with the people in your home (in my case, it is two cats).
Above all, I would wager that the Brazil lifestyle is about making the most of your time, using every second to live life to the fullest.
You should know that a lot of the Brazil lifestyle revolves around food, so come prepared to try many different delicacies. We usually have breakfast early in the day, with lunch coming around noon. Most people also have something called ‘cafรฉ da tarde’, a smaller meal made up of baked goods and coffee in the late afternoon hours to wrap up their work day.
Dinner here doesn’t usually happen until around nine pm, which was a huge adaptation curve for me when living abroad. Americans generally have dinner so early that by the time I went to bed, I was starving already.
Besides other significant things like our passion for soccer, constant willingness to celebrate, and warmth we freely give away, I’d say another indispensable thing to truly live the Brazil lifestyle is Brazilian music.
Nowadays, a style called ‘Sertanejo Universitรกrio’ is super popular. However, you will also notice that our biggest stars are going back to classical styles like Samba or Pagode. In case you want to experience live music like a native would, you need to come to a neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro called Glรณria.
On Sundays, the ‘Feira da Glรณria’ gathers people from all over town to try a fresh take on Brazilian cuisine classics, with plenty of vegetarian and vegan options too. But most people actually go because of their ‘roda de samba’, a group that plays live samba music for people to start their new week in a great mood.
I know you will have an amazing experience here regardless of what language you speak! But as I said before, not every city will be Rio de Janeiro with its tour guides and translated items on restaurant menus. For a more rewarding experience of the Brazil lifestyle in lesser-known places, speaking a little Portuguese will be necessary.
You can get prepared by putting together a list of keywords or phrases that might be useful. Especially if you have major allergies! You will need to communicate that wherever you go.
Preparing for a Trip to Brazil
Now that we have caught up with what is the ‘Brazil lifestyle’ and all the things that converged to create it, let’s talk a little bit about what you should do to prepare for a trip to Brazil! International trips can seem like a lot at first glance, so we will go through a few steps. Remember, you should always do what works best for you and the group you are traveling with!
- Prepare Your Documents: Traveling to another country, especially on a different continent, will require a passport. If you already have one, check on its date of expiration and make a couple of notarized copies just to be safe. Don’t forget to research entry requirements, you might need a visa or specific vaccines to enter the country. Another important document to have is travel insurance policies printed out, in case anything happens!
- Book Your Flights: You should never book a flight before all your papers are gathered, the only thing you should figure out afterward is insurance for your exact dates. Once you have finally decided on a destination, find out which airport is closest to it. My top recommendation is getting a direct flight if possible and if that can’t be done, be sure your layover is more than 4 hours long. It may seem like a lot but between exiting the plane, getting your stuff, and finding your gate, it really is not that much time. And don’t forget about going through customs! For booking flights, prefer to buy directly with the airline or through trusted travel agents.
- Make Reservations: ‘Make reservations’ is such an encompassing piece of advice, there are way too many things that require signing up beforehand. Always start with your hotel, though. Depending on where you want to go (places like Rio de Janeiro have high occupancy rates year round) and when you are coming, it can be tricky to get a room at some better-known places. You can also think ahead to some tours you would like to do or experiences available at your destination, and book those ahead of time too! It can be a little more expensive, but having a travel agent do all of these bookings for you can be a lifesaver in the long run.
- Pack Your Bags: I think that the first thing you should know is that we don’t have a standard voltage, so make sure your electronics operate with a bivolt charging system. On top of that, bring at least two adaptors since our power outlets are different. As for what clothes and accessories you should bring, it is another case of something that will vary depending on your final destination. So even if research may not be our favorite thing, we need to check weather forecast websites to have an idea of what kind of items to bring. Prefer to have your comfiest shoes instead of new ones and bring appropriate gear for any different activities you plan on doing.
- Double Check: Five business days before your trip, go over everything one more time with fresh eyes. Sometimes you will be able to find the wrong details you might have missed before or be able to put in a reservation for the restaurant you are hoping to visit. In any case, five business days is enough time to put urgent things into motion before you have to go buy overpriced coffee at an airport.
Bonus Advice: Some countries in South America require you to have the Yellow Fever vaccine from a month up to ten days before arriving, it is valid even if you are just doing a layover. So talk to your doctor to make arrangements for both the vaccine itself and the internationally valid certificate.
After going together on this journey through my home country, I would like to think we are friends. And because we are besties by now, let me tell you one last thing! Bring actual cash with you. I am the kind of person who hates walking around with any type of money, I’ll either transfer it or use my phone’s virtual wallet to pay for stuff.
But the last time I went to take a flight, my grandma gave me fifty bucks to take just in case of an emergency, and guess what? The entire airport’s card-accepting system went down, I needed to have lunch before my flight and I was only able to do it because my sweet grandma helped me prepare.
Remember, the Brazil lifestyle is all bout being warm with arms open to welcome every new experience life puts in your path. No matter how long you stay over here, I hope a little bit of the Brazil lifestyle goes back home with you!
